Fall in love: A shoe blogger’s guide to womens fall dress shoes

My husband is so happy when the weather turns cooler, because he was a polar bear in another life. When we go walking at night, he wears shorts and a tank top year round. When temps dip below freezing, he simply trades the tank for a tee shirt and is insanely comfortable.

Womens fall dress shoes

I, on the other hand, love autumn for a completely different reason: womens fall dress shoes. Spring and summer shoes put so much pressure on women’s feet. Summer styles are so strappy, exposed, and flimsy. There’s no support, no protection, and every shoe practically smacks you in the face and demands a pedicure. Which I simply don’t do, unless you consider the occasional foot massage a pedicure.

In the fall, it’s much easier for me to hide my aversion to painting my toenails, and pull off the menswear-inspired looks I love. Here are the womens fall dress shoes I’ll be wearing now that the weather is cooler.

Allen Edmonds McAllister wingtip in walnut calfskin (above)

These babies qualify as iconic; the style was first introduced in 1956 and has been a best seller ever since Allen Edmonds re-introduced it in 2009. The broguing (decorative perforations and stitching) makes them a little more casual than my pair of Park Avenues, which I will of course wear as well. I love the burnished (slightly darker) toe, and it works with every pair of pants I own, from jeans to suits. These shoes were proudly made in the USA. Technically, they’re men’s shoes, so we X-chromosomes must special order. Believe me, they’re worth it.

Attilio Giusti Leombruni Chelsea boot in black/gunmetal patent

My AGL boots are my first choice when I’m wearing a dress or skirt, because it’s so easy to dress them up or down depending on the tights I choose. The three Giusti sisters are grandchildren of AGL’s founder, and their designs run the gamut from classic to ultra modern. These exact boots aren’t available because they’re from last year, but similar styles are offered. I love the clear Lucite heel!

NiK Kacy Footwear suede desert boot in beige

I don’t actually HAVE these boots yet; I supported NiK’s Kickstarter campaign and this pair will arrive in November. NiK designs gender-neutral footwear in women’s size 3.5 to men’s size 14, using unisex European sizing. These casual boots are from NiK’s Fortune collection, and I can’t wait to see what NiK does next.

Munro American Kirsten suede platform wedge in sand

I bought the Kirsten this Spring and have gotten so much wear out of it. While it does expose my foot a bit, Autumn is so mild in my hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina that I can easily wear the Kirsten with tights well into December. If you’ve never checked out Munro American, they are the absolute best option for women with hard-to-fit feet. They makes shoes in women’s size 4 to 14, and five (5!) widths: Superslim, narrow, regular, wide and extrawide. They’ve got some great styles for fall, including the Yale loafer. With its wingtip-like broguing, it looks right up my alley!

I do have a black patent pump for the occasional evening out. But for day-to-day work and play, one of these four womens fall dress shoes will work for me 95% of the time. Done!

Please excuse the lack of apostrophes. I know better, but must sacrifice them to appease the search engine optimization gods.